RF Ablation Tool for Small Tumors

A new radio frequency (RF) ablation tool is designed to enable doctors to ablate small tumors safely and precisely. The device has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Called Side-Deployment Electrode, the device is a small gauge needle that allows doctors, using ultrasound imaging guidance, to deliver radio frequency electrodes directly through the skin and into the tumor in a minimally invasive procedure. The device works much like a hypodermic needle and can ablate a tissue volume of up to 2 cm in diameter. Approved in Europe to treat lung, kidney, liver, bone, and other small tumors, the device was developed by Rita Medical Systems, Inc. (Mountain View, CA, USA; www.ritamedical.com).

"The Side-Deployment Electrode offers physicians an effective tool to ablate smaller tumors, which are especially prevalent in cases of lung and kidney cancer,” said Donald J. Stewart, chief financial officer of Rita Medical. "This FDA clearance is the latest in a series of regulatory initiatives aimed at strengthening our market position by making the Rita system the most flexible and effective radio frequency device designed to precisely ablate cancerous and benign tumors.”




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